The Tobin surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 18,932 people carried this name — #1,896 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 15,600 people counted. That is up 4% from 18,135 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Tobin surname

From Irish Tóibín, from Anglo-Norman de Saint Aubyn (compare Saint Aubin), from Latin Sanctus Albīnus.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Tobin» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley explains it as ‘the son of Tobias’.

His entry covers Tobin and Tobyn.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 755 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 98 births for the Tobin name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 4,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 69
Leinster 27
Connacht 1
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

76 people named Tobin is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 76

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Tobin was recorded 12 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1665th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 10. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Tobin in American newspapers,
1890–1910.

Newspaper page from Grant County Herald carrying the name Tobin
Grant County Herald 1890-11-06
Newspaper page from The Colfax Gazette carrying the name Tobin
The Colfax Gazette 1900-05-18
Newspaper page from Orleans County Monitor carrying the name Tobin
Orleans County Monitor 1910-05-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 158,282 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Tobin in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2010s.

37,690 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tobin. The most, 5,558, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 13,451
New South Wales 12,011
Queensland 4,714
South Australia 3,317
Western Australia 3,174
Tasmania 729
ACT (Canberra) 228
Northern Territory 23

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tobin.

Who carried it

People named Tobin,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Tobin
    John Tobin 1763–1851 · mayor
  • Thomas Tobin
    Thomas Tobin 1807–1881 · businessperson
  • Stephen Tobin
    Stephen Tobin 1836–1905 · politician
  • John Michael Tobin
    John Michael Tobin 1841–1898 · politician
  • Frank Tobin
    Frank Tobin 1849–1927 · cricketer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 250 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Tobin,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States6,056 records

6,056 records of the Tobin name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,907
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,857
  • Other U.S. records 2,292
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert W. Tobin

    Born 1930; from Multnomah County, Oregon. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in South Korea. Buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Francis J. Tobin

    Born 1906 in New York. Enlisted 1944 at Camp Upton Yaphank; longshoreman from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1989, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Nora Tobin

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 19; servant. From Cork, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 6,056 records for Tobin in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,675 records

1,675 records of the Tobin name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 848
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 289
  • Other Australian records 538
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Tobin

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Cork. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Alice Tobin

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Martin Luther, sailing from Dublin in 1852. Native of Tipperary. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ellen Tobin

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Mary Anne, sailing from Dublin in 1840. Native of Cork. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,675 records for Tobin in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada905 records

905 records of the Tobin name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 850
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 25
  • Other Canadian records 30
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Patrick Joseph Tobin

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 48; buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Tobin

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Sarmatian, landing at Portland, bound for Scarboro, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William M. Tobin

    Buried in 1969 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 61.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 905 records for Tobin in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Ireland20 records

20 records of the Tobin name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Tobin

    Died 1955, aged 85; buried at Carraroe, Williamstown, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Tobin

    Died 1982; buried at Mountbellew, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 20 records for Tobin in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom16 records

16 records of the Tobin name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 13
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Tobin

    Buried in 1849 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 36.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. Tobin

    South Lancashire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 16 records for Tobin in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Germany12 records

12 records of the Tobin name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Fritz Tobin

    From Motrau, Wehlau. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 13 September 1915 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 21).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Tobin

    From Densberg, Fritzlar. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 21 August 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 12 records for Tobin in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands10 records

10 records of the Tobin name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6
  • Dutch population registers 3
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hendrica Cornelia Tobin

    Married in 1834 in Dordrecht. Died 1857 in Dordrecht, aged 47.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Rivierenland (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record François Tobin

    Died 1840 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 10 records for Tobin in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand8 records

8 records of the Tobin name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Tobin

    Died 1902, aged 60; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary A. Tobin

    Died 1932; buried at Cust Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Tobin in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France5 records

5 records of the Tobin name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Francis Jean Tobin

    Born 1952 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines); died 1994 in Tossiat (Ain).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Emilien Francis Tobin

    Born 1937 in Saint Pierre en L Ile; died 2000 in Saint-Pierre.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Tobin in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Tobin.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Tobin is.
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Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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